The human hand, so delicate and so complicated, not only allows the mind to reveal itself but it enables the whole being to enter into special relationships with its environment.
–Maria Montessori
I am often asked, Why Montessori for the kindergarten year? You chose Westshore Montessori School for your child’s preschool because you wanted to give him/her the best. You wanted them to experience learning in a respectful, loving, home-like environment. You wanted them to be appreciated and valued for the individual they are. You wanted them to not only learn academics, but to learn how they learn.
The Right Time to Transition
The Montessori learning experience is cumulative: what your child has learned in the first two years will impact what they learn in their kindergarten year. In the Montessori environment, there is a great emphasis on the transition from concrete into abstraction. This is the time when the transition needs to take place. Your children will learn to read, to do mathematical operations, and to begin to think about the world in terms of interrelated facts. It is a social time as well, when children are starting to interact with each other in work and play, and to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings of others.
Montessori students will often develop academic skills far beyond those of children enrolled in most American kindergarten programs. However, you should know that academic progress is not our ultimate goal. Our real hope is that the children will have an incredible sense of self-confidence and enthusiasm for learning. We want much more than competency in the basic skills; we want them to honestly enjoy school, be motivated to learn and explore, and feel good about themselves as students.
Once children have developed a high degree of self-confidence, independence, and enthusiasm for the learning process, they normally can adapt to all sorts of new situations. While there are wonderful and exciting reasons to carefully consider keeping a child in Montessori through elementary school and beyond, by the time they are in first grade they are typically able to go off to their new school with a vibrant curiosity and excitement about making new friends and learning new things.
Because the kindergarten year is so important to you and your child, we are inviting them to a Kindergarten Day, January 15, 2020. They will have the opportunity to experience what it means to be a Kindergartener at Westshore Montessori School. Your child will arrive at school at 9:00 and have lunch as a group and then be dismissed at 2:30. In between will be many lessons, laughter and fun.
Thank you for participating in our annual Kindergarten Day!
Diana, Cindy, Jessica, Monica, Ethna, Nancy and Susan